


To Wish Upon a Fae

by HollowMashiro



Series: Webtoons Collection [4]
Category: Room of Swords (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, M/M, There Are Too Many Gyruses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28530318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowMashiro/pseuds/HollowMashiro
Summary: Tori ventures into the land of the fae to find and bring back her stolen prince. But what she finds, and the people she meets along the way, are not what she expects. Fae AU for Justghostingby for the RoS 2020 Secret Santa.
Relationships: Gyrus Axelei/Kodya Karevic
Series: Webtoons Collection [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1498211
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	To Wish Upon a Fae

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Justghostingby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justghostingby/gifts).



Tori glared at the wooden arch in front of her with deep suspicion. Made of two rowan trees that had grown together and decorated with interwoven vines of holly, the arch all but _screamed_ that it led to the Land of the Fae. And if she had any sense, she would heed the warning, because the Land of the Fae was no place for humans to wander and expect to return with their sanity and all their limbs intact.

But it was where she was headed anyway. Her precious Prince, taken from his mother just moments after his birth, was somewhere in there.

Tori gritted her teeth. Every time the memory of that moment came to her, it hurt the same as the initial event, even though it had been three years since that terrible day. Even though she had known beforehand that the fae sorcerer Don would take her Queen’s firstborn in exchange for lifting the curse that had plagued their kingdom, having the child snatched away before Queen Amelia could hold him – before he could even be _named_ – still had gutted her.

But the fae had been good on his word, and the suffering of their people had eased. Not that it had helped Amelia much, given the way her health had rapidly declined. After three years of mourning, Amelia had finally declared that she wanted her son _home_ , and that there had been nothing in her agreement with the fae that permitted him to _keep_ her child, just to take it. Sending her loyal knight to the world of the fae was risky business, both for Tori and for whatever retribution they might incur from the fae sorcerer, but Tori thought the risks to be well worth it, to see life within her Queen’s body again.

Of course, there were a few measures Tori could take to make sure she had the best chance of returning successfully. She was wearing a protective amulet tucked under her armor, and she’d brought a heavier iron sword instead of a steel sword to more effectively attack the fae. She would also begrudgingly grant that this portal would at least lead her to a fixed location in neutral fae territory, and was thus safer than the more common but less permanent fairy rings, which could lead to anywhere in the fae world, including to those Unseelie fae courts that would kill and eat an unfortunate human in an instant. No thank you.

Tori shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks. She was stalling out of fear in a manner that was unbecoming of her Queen’s personal knight and especially unbecoming of a mission such as this. She should be excited that she was going to rescue her prince and bring him home, not frightened of the trials she would no doubt endure in the land of the fae. And every second she wasted was another second her family remained splintered.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Tori straightened and strode purposefully through the fairy portal.

* * *

Tori’s vision blurred and twisted, and she felt like she was walking through water. Her stomach churned and she slammed her eyes shut, fighting against vertigo and nausea. She wasn’t sure if she was still standing, or if she’d fallen to her knees. But the sensations died as she breathed crisp air, and she opened her eyes to find herself still standing, if hunched over, a little too near a cliff’s edge for comfort. She stepped back uneasily and looked around as the disorientation subsided.

The Land of the Fae was… colorful. Giant flowers and mushrooms shared space alongside trees, glimmering in all colors of the rainbow. In the valley below the cliff, a river divided the landscape, shimmering with an iridescent sheen. Small bubbles and fluff floated lazily under a sunset sky. Tori could admit that the alien landscape was beautiful, if a little too bright. But she had to remember that, beneath this beauty, treachery and danger lay in spades. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

Framed by cliffs, there appeared to be only one way out of this area: down a narrow path cut into the cliff to the valley. Tori’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but without any better options, she started down the path. She moved cautiously and was almost at the bottom when she encountered her first fae.

It was a small little sprite surrounded by a yellow star-shaped glow that almost completely eclipsed its small body. It was looking at her curiously, no doubt wondering why a human was here, but all Tori could see in that moment, if she could catch the sprite and force it into a deal, was a _guide_. She lunged forward, hands outstretched to catch it, but it slipped from her grasp with a squeak and tore away. Tori bared her teeth, unseen under her helmet, and careened down the rest of the path after the sprite.

She didn’t see the larger figure at the bottom of the path, hidden by a sharp turn, until she barreled straight into him, knocking them both sprawling.

Tori pushed herself upright quickly; no telling if she would need to defend herself. She spun around towards whoever she’d run over and came face to face with Amelia. She gasped, but in that moment, the mirage shattered. The green hair was too short, the jaw was too angular, and the eyebrows were too thick. There was a slight tapering point to the ears – a fae. A human-sized _male_ fae. One who’d just tried to trick her into letting her guard down!

With an angry yell, Tori unsheathed her heavy iron sword and lunged. The fae yelped and scrambled away clumsily, barely avoiding the bite of her sword.

“How dare ye!” Tori yelled, pursuing him as he slipped between rocks to avoid her.

“What?” the fae squeaked as he struggled to stay away. “Please, stop!” The little sprite chittered at him and led him to squeeze between some rocks that had fallen from the cliff.

Tori determinedly followed. While mindlessly pursuing a fae off-path in fae land would usually be a stupid idea, she knew she was too close to a permanent portal for any fae to tolerate anything too dangerous in the area.

“Release the glamor on thy face _now_!” Tori demanded. “Ere I lose my patience!”

“This is just my face, really! I’m not using a glamor!” the fae yelled. His expression morphed to despair as he found himself trapped at a dead end between the cliff face and her.

“Then ye shall die,” Tori announced angrily, readying her sword to strike. She would not tolerate the existence of a cursed fae mocking her Queen in such a manner!

But suddenly, Tori was blinded by stinging powder in her eyes. She yelled in pain and flailed, and her hand unintentionally hit a tiny body with a _crunch_.

“Scout!” she heard the fae cry in dismay. She gritted her teeth and rubbed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks to wash out the magic powder she’d been hit with. But the protective amulet was doing its job: already the pain was fading and her sight was returning, if a bit blurry. She glared at the fae and found him kneeling over the broken body of the sprite, which only weakly flickered with its normal bright glow. It was alive, but only just. With proper care, it would likely survive.

The pained, sad look on that haunting face was all too familiar, and Tori found herself blurting, “Release the spell upon thy face!” instead of following through and attacking the fae once more.

The fae turned to glare at her before his face melted with grief. “Please, listen,” he pleaded. “This is just my face. There is no magic on it, and it doesn’t naturally alter itself to another’s perception. I give my word.” He looked pitiful, kneeling on the ground while cradling his companion.

Tori assessed him for a few heartbeats. Appearances could be highly deceiving with the fae, but when a fae gave its word, it was always true. She clenched her jaw; all evidence pointed to this fae’s resemblance to her queen being just a coincidence.

“Apologies,” she gritted out before sheathing her sword. Best to avoid any further interaction with this fae and smooth grievances where she could; she didn’t want to invite a curse upon her for her attack. Even though the amulet would likely protect it from taking hold from such a weak fae as this, it would be best to not take that chance. Without further ado, she turned on her heels and began to stride away, back to the path.

“Wait!” the fae yelled. “You’re just going to walk away from this, human? Just how heartless are you?”

Against her better judgment, Tori turned to look back. The fae was glaring at her, but the effect was somewhat lessened by his teary eyes.

“I cannot help,” she said tonelessly. “There is I nothing I could do.”

The fae took a deep breath. “I need your help,” he admitted. “And I’m sure you could use mine. Why don’t we make a deal?”

“No!” Tori snapped automatically. She was here _because_ of a deal with the fae; she definitely didn’t need to be entangled with another. She turned to stalk away.

“But you haven’t even heard the terms yet!” the fae protested. Light footsteps pattered after her and a hand landed on her shoulder.

Tori brushed him off without a second thought and gave him a withering glare. “I do not require thy help. Leave before I think better of sparing thy life!”

The fae scowled at her determinedly. “But there must be some reason you’re here in fae lands!” he insisted. “If you help me, I can help you with whatever it is you’re here for!”

Tori frowned. It was true that it was safer to roam the Land of the Fae with a guide, and she _had_ originally chased the sprite for that purpose.

“What would ye require of me?” she asked suspiciously.

“I need help returning to my court,” he replied simply. He held up the near-dead sprite for her to see. “If I can return soon, I can save Scout’s life. But I have been unable to return for weeks now.”

“What would ye need _me_ to do that ye could not do thyself?” Tori asked.

The fae winced. “There is an ogre who has taken up residence along the path I need to take to return to my court,” he explained. “I can’t fight, but you seem to be quite capable. I don’t need him dead, just gone.”

Tori chewed her lip, weighing her options. On one hand, the task seemed too simple and straightforward to be payment for both his services as a guide and forgiveness for attacking him and gravely wounding his companion. On the other, she would be required to defend both of them from whatever dangers they encountered aside from the ogre, and she did badly need a guide…

Tori nodded begrudgingly. “I can do this. Would I be required to spare the ogre’s life?”

The fae shook his head. “No. For doing this for me, what would you want in return?”

“I am looking for someone dear to me, taken from his mother three years ago,” she explained. “He was taken by a cunning fae with the name of Don, and I want to find either him or the child he stole.”

Surprise flickered across the fae’s face before it was concealed. “I can’t help you find either person directly,” he said slowly. “But! The king of my court, Masiosare, can grant wishes! I’m sure he would be able to retrieve the child that was lost.”

No mention of the price his king would demand of her, nor if the price would be one she’d be willing to pay. But it was her best option so far. “Very well,” she said. “I deliver us safely to thy court, while ye guide us and grant me an audience with thy king.”

The fae nodded, smiling hopefully.

Tori sighed and said, “Very well, it is a deal. But, should ye prove treacherous, I will not hesitate to kill ye!”

The smile faded a little but the fae nodded in acquiescence. “It’s a deal then,” he said, the words sounding final. “Let’s get going then! I don’t want to waste a single moment getting home so I can heal Scout…” He hastily tore a length of cloth from the bottom of his tunic and gently wrapped his little friend in a bundle.

Then he brushed past Tori and beckoned her back to the path. Frowning and hoping this deal wouldn’t blow up in her face, Tori followed.

* * *

The fae was surprisingly chatty and easygoing, Tori soon found. She learned that his name was Gyrus, and she shared hers in turn. Additionally, he explained certain aspects of the fae realm to her as they came across them. While Tori was grateful for the information, which would no doubt come in handy should she end up alone in the otherworldly place, the near-constant chatter was somewhat grating. But she didn’t say anything to stop him, because knowing even a little about how to avoid stumbling into unfriendly courts or dodging plants that could paralyze and eat her might prove vital to her survival.

“…so you see,” Gyrus said, pointing to a small cluster of small cup-shaped plants nestled in shadow away from the path, “The pitchers with purple and black markings are the ones you most want to avoid. If you have to choose between a yellow-blue pitcher or a purple-black pitcher, choose the yellow-blue pitcher, because the purple-black pitchers can—”

Tori grabbed his arm, seeing an obstacle up on the path that looked remarkably like a scaled-up version of the pitchers on the side of the path, streaked with deep purple and black. Except it was tipped sideways and deflated.

Gyrus made a startled noise in the next moment as he saw the obstacle. “What…?” he gaped. “Pitchers this big shouldn’t be this close to the path!”

“How do we get around it?” Tori asked.

“We don’t need to,” Gyrus replied, sounding deeply perplexed. “It’s already _dead_. But then why…?”

The answer revealed itself as a pink-haired woman in rags clambered on top of the plant, looked at it consideringly for a moment, and then knelt down to take a massive bite from the cup.

Gyrus squawked and dashed forward. “Stop!” he cried. “Eating that will kill you, fellow – human?!” Tori hurried forward, her hand on her sword just in case. Her sight had long since cleared, and she could see the woman’s rounded ears signifying that she was indeed human, despite her fae-influenced hair color.

The woman swallowed and said, “I ate some fairy plants as a kid and now I can eat pretty much anything.” She took another bite.

Gyrus looked flabbergasted that the woman wasn’t choking and dying. “Why? How?” he questioned, sounding a little dazed.

“It tried to eat me, so I ate it back,” she explained like it was the simplest thing in the world. “And I’m hungry.”

Gyrus traced a sigil with his hands and when nothing happened, he said wonderingly, “How is that not an illusion?” He shook his head. “Where did you even get a pitcher that big in this area?”

“Big hole out that way,” the woman gestured vaguely. “Brought it here so I didn’t have to compete with the other pitchers trying to eat it.”

Gyrus laughed, a little hysterically. “Well then, human, why are you in this realm eating the pitchers?” he asked.

The woman shrugged. “Need to eat. Stepped in a mushroom ring and found myself here. More food here than back home, so…”

Tori grimaced. Randomly eating food in the fae realm was a good way to get yourself trapped here forever. But given that the woman was eating a wild plant and not stuck in a single court, maybe she’d managed to avoid that fate so far.

“Why would you prefer the food here to human food?” Gyrus asked, baffled.

“There’s enough of it!” the woman replied. “My village has been struck hard by famine.” Well, that made a great deal more sense than what Tori was expecting.

Gyrus offered, “Would you like to join us? We are going to my home court; my king, Masiosare, can grant wishes. Maybe he would grant a wish for your village to be blessed with prosperous harvests, so you never need be hungry again.”

The woman considered this while chewing a mouthful of pitcher. She swallowed and replied, “Sure! At least human food tastes better than this.” She jumped down from the pitcher and with a swing of her leg, kicked it to the side of the road. Tori eyed her dubiously; her gifts appeared to extend beyond having a cast-iron stomach. The woman’s strength would no doubt prove to be difficult to overcome should the woman turn on them.

But, Tori admitted to herself as she watched the woman approach them cheerfully, somehow she felt that the odds of this woman turning on them were low.

* * *

The woman wasn’t as talkative as Gyrus but seemed perfectly happy to listen to him chatter. It didn’t take them long to discover that she had no real name; her villagers had denied her a proper name out of fear of the fae child. Tori wasn’t entirely certain why the woman would attempt to help those people now, but it seemed the woman didn’t want to share. Or, perhaps, she had been truthful about her only motive being food.

Tori was stunned when Gyrus gifted the woman with a name, Sylvia. It was a fitting name, she had to admit, but the fae didn’t do anything for free, and Gyrus’s explanation of his motives – that he was grateful for the experience of watching a pitcher being eaten so easily – was unconvincing. Tori hoped that when the fae demanded his real price, Sylvia would be left intact.

In the distance, Tori could see a crossroads. A human-sized figure stood at the center, looking around as if contemplating the route to take. As they drew closer, Tori could make out the rounded ears on the dark-skinned woman. Another human? How was it that there were so many humans in the Land of the Fae?

The woman turned as they approached and greeted them with surprise but warmth. “Oh, hello! I think you’re who I’m supposed to be looking for!”

“You’re looking for us?” Tori echoed warily, her hand sliding to the hilt of her sword.

“Well, not you in particular…” the woman scratched her cheek contemplatively. “I just got the feeling that if I waited here for a bit, I would run into some people that could help me.”

“You got a feeling?” Gyrus asked.

The woman nodded. “Yes! You see, I have a gift to foretell the future, and I have come to this land to ask the fae why I have been bestowed with this ability. Although…” she hesitated, looking embarrassed. “It is not the most reliable, and I had troubles finding someone to give me an answer. But I recently felt very strongly that if I came here and waited, someone would come who could help me.”

Gyrus examined her closely. “Well, you’re right,” he revealed. “The king of my court can grant wishes, and he may be able to provide the answers you seek. Would you like to join us?”

The woman beamed. “I would love to; thank you!” She fell in among them as Gyrus led them down one of the forks of the path. “My name is Nephthys, by the way. What are yours?…”

* * *

They started seeing more fae as they traveled along the path. Tori tried not to stare, but the variety of colors and shapes among the fae made it hard not to. She tried to convince herself that it was because she was keeping an eye out for potential threats and not just because they were curious and unfamiliar to her, but none of the fae bothered them aside from some glances. Thankfully, their fae chaperone allowed them to travel without being accosted.

Gyrus informed Tori that they were starting to get close to the ogre when they heard a commotion up the path. The four of them exchanged glances before silently deciding to pick up the pace. They crested a small hilltop to see—

A man, wrestling with a half-sized fae, either a dwarf or a leprechaun, while snarling explicatives. From the iron knife the man was wielding, Tori didn’t even need to check the man’s ears to know he was human.

The smaller fae looked up, and his face contorted when he saw more humans coming. Tori hadn’t been sure who had started the conflict, or who was winning, but in an act of self-preservation, the leprechaun decided to withdraw a pouch from his belt and shove it in the man’s face. The man let out a muffled yelp, and his grip loosened just enough for the leprechaun to squirm away and bolt, disappearing into the surrounding mushrooms with alarming speed. The man hastily set the bag down and peered inside. He sighed in relief once he did so, though the scowl didn’t leave his face.

“Another human freely wandering our realm in our path? I must have received a strange luck blessing somewhere,” Gyrus murmured before clearing his throat and stepping forward. “Greetings, human. What brings you to our realm?”

The man’s head snapped up and he brought the knife up defensively before realizing that Gyrus was only waiting for an answer. “None of your business, fae, unless you’re willing to direct me towards the one named Masiosare without charging me through the nose.”

“Did that leprechaun give you information and then, as you say, charge you through the nose for it?” Gyrus asked coolly. The fae took their deals very seriously, even if one side was stacked unfairly.

The man rolled his eyes. “Of course not. He just stole my food and I wanted it back,” he grumbled, securely tying the bag to his waist and standing. “Now, if you don’t have what I need for what I can give, you can just…” The man trailed off as he got a good look at Gyrus’s face, his eyes widening. Then his eyes slitted in anger and he stalked forward rapidly, causing Gyrus to backpedal and Tori to draw her sword to defend her guide. The man stopped advancing, but he still looked furious, his chest heaving.

“ ** _You_** ,” he snarled, jabbing a finger at Gyrus, who was edging behind Sylvia. “I need to have some _words_ with you!”

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re—” Gyrus babbled.

“Don’t play dumb with me, _Gyrus_ ,” the man hissed, his fists clenching and unclenching. “You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about!”

“There’s a lot of us who look the same and have the same name!” Gyrus wailed, crumbling under the weight of the man’s fury. “I’m don’t think I’m the Gyrus you’re looking for!”

Tori glanced at the fae in surprise. There were multiple Gyruses?

The man studied Gyrus intensely for a moment before his posture slowly relaxed. His gaze fell for a moment while pain flickered across his face, but when he looked back up, the emotion had been wiped away.

“Sorry,” he said, a little roughly, and shrugged stiltedly. “Didn’t know there was more than one of you.”

Gyrus ventured from behind Sylvia. “So, uh, why are you looking for one of us? And Masiosare?” he asked hesitantly.

The man said, “I was hoping Masiosare could point me towards the right Gyrus so I can yell at him.”

Gyrus looked at him, seeming boggled. “ _Why?_ ”

The man shifted, a little embarrassed, before revealing, “Because I recently found out that he didn’t die when it looked like he had, because he’s a changeling and could survive that sort of thing.” Which explained a bit, though certainly not enough.

But it seemed to be enough for Gyrus. “Well, would you like to join us? We’re traveling to Masiosare’s court,” he offered cautiously. “So long as your intent isn’t to hurt one of my brothers…”

The man shook his head. “No, just tell him off for being an idiot.”

Gyrus huffed in amusement. “Well, I’m sure he will deserve it,” he offered. “So, what’s your name?”

* * *

They had amassed a much larger group of people than Tori had imagined she’d be traveling with, particularly since most of them were human. Compared to the other fae they were passing, they seemed quite conspicuous, even though they went unaccosted.

At the next fork in the road, Gyrus guided them away from the well-worn paths to a more unused path. Dense foliage along this path, not yet cleared away or grown away to the liking of the path’s owner, made it difficult to see too far ahead. Tori found herself tensing at the reduction in visibility and sudden lack of other fae and wondered, for a moment, if Gyrus was leading them into a trap, away from others that could help. But then she remembered that Gyrus had given his word to her that he would take her to Masiosare, and that it was a toss-up whether the other fae would have decided to help the humans, join in attacking them, or simply not care.

Gyrus started to slow, looking reluctant. “We’re getting close to the ogre,” he explained softly.

Tori nodded determinedly and drew her sword as Sylvia asked, “Ogre?” Tori tuned out Gyrus’s explanation to the others while she mentally reviewed what she knew about ogres. There were many subtypes of fae, but ogres were among the largest and ugliest, like trolls and orcs. While some were known to just want to live their lives in peace and solitude in remote areas like caves and swamps, many of them liked causing trouble. While their size and strength made them a nuisance, they tended to be not very bright. Tori didn’t know if they had any specific weaknesses, but iron was a weakness for all fae, so she wasn’t too worried. She would just kill it with her iron sword; quicker and easier than trying to scare it off. Gyrus _had_ said that she didn’t need to keep it alive.

Gyrus stopped them from advancing further. “Just around this bend,” he said quietly.

Tori peered around the corner, with the other humans crowding behind her to take a look. Grouped around a bridge of woven wood and vines were three mounds of piled earth that marked the ogres’ homes. Three corresponding stocky lumps of gray-blue, magenta, and purple were scattered on the close side of the bridge. One of them was asleep, the second was boredly carving something crude into a chunk of wood, and the third was staring into the distance, looking as though it might join the first for a nap.

Tori ducked back around the corner and scowled fiercely at Gyrus. Taking on _three_ ogres by herself to clear their path was entirely different than only battling one. “What is the meaning of this, fae?” she growled. “Our agreement was for _one_ ogre, not three!”

Gyrus released a heavy breath and peeked around the corner. He hissed when he saw the ogres. “Oh, no, they’re starting to set up a whole _settlement_ …” he moaned. “They all need to go!” He looked at Tori and sighed. “All right, new deal, an extension of the old one. If you can get rid of _all_ the ogres, through any means necessary, I’ll forgive you for almost killing Scout.”

“Why should that appeal to me?” Tori demanded.

Gyrus looked away and answered, a little detached as his hand fell to his chest, where he’d tucked the pouch with the sprite, “You almost killed my friend. I said I would help you get to my king’s court with an audience. I never said it would be a _fair_ audience because of the way you attacked me and my friend.”

Tori was tempted to pull her sword on him right then and there, but that would likely be counterproductive. “I swear, if ye have led me to a trap or dead end while my Queen fades and my Prince is lost…” she snarled.

Gyrus held his hands up defensively. “My king Masiosare can indeed grant wishes, on my word!” he assured, a little high-pitched. “But we are very protective of each other in my court, you see, and unless a forgiveness deal is struck or true forgiveness given, there are consequences for crossing us.”

Tori glared daggers at him. Amelia had been crossed first, by the trickster fae Don, demanding exorbitant prices to cure the curse on their kingdom which, they later found, had been laid by Don himself to entrap them. _All_ the fae were equally untrustworthy and guilty and would be treated as such.

“Anything else important to my safety and mission that ye have neglected to share?” Tori snapped.

Gyrus shook his head. “By my word, there is nothing else of importance I am aware of that I have failed to disclose to you.”

“And what about us?” the human man, Kodya, demanded, breaking into the conversation. “Were you leading the rest of us into danger as well?”

Gyrus shook his head hard. “No, no! I have no quarrel with any of you. The more wishes my king grants, the more his power grows, so it is beneficial for all of us for you to come bargain with him honestly.”

The man opened his mouth to respond, but Tori never found out what he was going to say, because a high-pitched, nasally voice interrupted, “What do ya know? I found a bunch o’ rats!”

Tori looked up to see the magenta ogre looming over them. They’d been arguing too loudly.

Oops. So much for figuring out a battle plan before attacking…

* * *

“When I said ‘through any means necessary’, I didn’t mean that you could involve the rest of us in your battle,” Gyrus grumbled.

“If ye can twist the words in your deals to benefit ye, then I can do the same,” Tori responded, too worn and beaten to add much bite to the words.

Defeating the three ogres had not been easy, but between the five of them – despite Gyrus and Nephthys not being able to aid much – they’d managed to kill the three ogres without incurring any fatal injuries. Tori didn’t think she’d broken anything, but she was certainly aching. Ogres could definitely pack a punch.

They crossed the now-unblocked bridge and continued onward. They weren’t traveling for long before they passed a split strand of alder trees, and suddenly, they were elsewhere. It took Tori a moment to realize that they hadn’t been physically moved, but had passed through an illusion concealing the entrance to this place.

They stood at the edge of a heavily shade-dappled clearing. A clear, crescent-shaped pond shimmered on one side of the clearing, and a mossy mound stood in the center. A few dark tunnels between the trees, or perhaps leading underground, were scattered at the edges. The clearing was lit more by luminescent moss than by sunlight.

Gyrus directed them to a grassy spot and instructed, “Wait here.” He briskly moved to the pond and gently, so gently, extracted the sprite from the pouch in his tunic and placed the sprite floating in the pond. Then, after some worried lip-biting, he vanished into one of the other tunnels around the clearing.

Tori shifted nervously from foot to foot. Now what? She detested waiting longer, but wandering off in a fairy court would only serve to get her killed. A chill ran up her spine and she turned to see smoky streaks wind through the clearing. She grabbed her sword reflexively when she saw that the streaks had _faces_ and were drawing closer.

“Stop,” Kodya said, putting a hand on her sword arm. “They’re only wisps. They won’t hurt you.”

“Wisps?” Sylvia echoed while Tori brushed the swordsman’s arm off.

Kodya nodded. “Little fae spirits that watch and listen. They’ve very curious but cause no harm. I’ve seen them in many colors, but these shadowy ones are new to me.”

“Correct. Very astute,” a raspy voice murmured from somewhere in the clearing.

Tori jumped and barely kept herself from drawing her sword at the eerie voice she couldn’t see the source of. But in the next moment, a shadowy figure emerged from one of the tunnels, followed by other fae. The figure stepped forward, towards the mound, and was lit by the glowing moss, but seeing the figure hardly helped. It was cloaked from head to toe in a flowing, ragged robe, and its face was covered with a cow’s skull as a mask. Tori began to doubt that this… monstrous creature was here to help them.

“Peace, guests,” the figure said, a little more loudly, as it climbed to the top of the mound. Tori thought the voice sounded masculine and tentatively labeled the creature a ‘he’. “Welcome to my court, the Court of Swords. I am Masiosare. Gyrus tells me you all have wishes you want granted.” Tori looked around suspiciously at the fae that were gathering in the court, making sure none of them made any sudden moves.

“That’s right,” Kodya confirmed. As Tori studied the other fae, she realized that aside from a few individuals – such as a stout bearded leprechaun, a wind elemental, and a blue battle elf – most of the fae coming into the court had familiar green hair.

“We all have different wishes,” Nephthys added. Tori hadn’t expected there to be _this_ many Gyruses. Briefly, she felt sorry for Kodya, who would likely have to comb through them all to find the one he was looking for.

“Four wishes, all at once, hmm?” Masiosare drawled. His court tittered excitedly. “Would each of you kindly explain your wishes?”

So they did: Tori’s wish to find the taken prince, Sylvia’s to end her village’s famine, Nephthys’s to discover the origins of her ability, and Kodya’s to track down his erstwhile lover. Tori thought she saw Masiosare wince upon hearing Kodya’s wish, but couldn’t be sure.

“All fine wishes,” Masiosare hummed. “But I’m sure you all know that wishes do not come without a price… or a test.”

“What price do you demand?” Kodya asked.

“Four different wishes, four different prices. In addition, I cannot grant all four wishes all at once… so you will each receive your tests one at a time. I do hope you all can have patience,” the fae king explained with a touch of mirth.

Tori frowned. She could wait, but not for very long. Not much longer than a few days, at least. How long would each of these tasks take?

“Now, I choose the first wish to be granted, and the first task to be given, to… you,” Masiosare announced, pointing magnanimously to Sylvia.

* * *

_Three hours_ , Sylvia thought. _One to find the garden, one to search in the garden, and the last one to return. Easy._ Except that if she didn’t return to the portal Masiosare was opening for her in time, she would be trapped and then hopelessly lost in woods designed to ensnare and devour. Three hours was all Masiosare could keep the portal open and her guide witchlight illuminated. These woods did not take kindly to any magical intrusion; the portal could not be opened any closer to the garden. Or maybe it was part of the test, to be able to follow the witchlight exactly without falling prey to the many dangers of these misty woods, most of them designed to entrap her mind. Sylvia couldn’t eat or fight her way out of dangers that attacked her mind, the way she could with the dangers that attacked her body.

Luckily for her, she was strong and fast, and she had no problems following the witchlight as it traced a safe path to the garden, which was where her _real_ test was.

_What kind of flower garden is hidden in a place like this?_ Sylvia wondered as she jumped over a fallen log. She could see nothing but mist and the spindly, dead branches of dark trees, and she could smell nothing but death and decay. It was an eerie place.

Sylvia quickened her steps. The sooner she could get to the garden, the sooner she could leave this creepy place behind her. Maybe even have a little extra time to search the garden.

Determinedly, Sylvia followed the witchlight until she was suddenly in the most beautiful and otherworldly flower garden she’d ever seen. She looked backwards and saw that she’d burst out of what looked like a solid wall of fog, keeping this place hidden.

Flowers of all shapes and colors grew here. None of them were quite the same gigantic size she’d seen elsewhere in the world of the fae, stretching as large and tall as trees. But their smaller size made them no less stunning. Prominently, in the center of the garden, a single flowering tree grew. Curiously, different sections of the tree sported different blooms.

It was lovely, one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen, but Sylvia couldn’t stop and stare when she had a job to do. Her village depended on it. She still loved them, even though she’d been an outcast since childhood with her strange fae abilities and fae-dyed hair.

_Find me something of great strength within the flower garden_ , she remembered Masiosare instructing. She frowned as she surveyed the flower garden. Was it something physically strong, like a weapon? Or was it something with a strong flavor, or maybe a strong effect? She had no way of knowing, and she had no time to pluck flowers from the entire garden to take one of each back to Masiosare.

So she started looking for something that stood out. She moved among the flowers, looking below their petals for anything buried in the ground. The flowers felt flimsy, too. She plucked a few experimentally and even tore some out of the ground. They were weak and flaccid; a few even wilted within moments. Surely, none of these, despite their beauty.

She looked around the tree, experimentally testing its branches and plucking some of its flowers, too. They were little better than the flowers growing from the ground. And while the _trunk_ was certainly solid, and while she was much stronger than the average person, she wasn’t strong enough to uproot an entire tree and carry it through a twisting forest maze for a full hour.

There was nothing on the ground, either. No stones, no shells, not even common little critters like ants or beetles. It was just her and the flowers.

Sylvia mentally cursed as she saw her witchlight flash in the corner of her eye. That was her warning: she needed to leave soon. But she still hadn’t found anything satisfactory.

_Damn it, there’s nothing here!_ she thought desperately. _I would be able to destroy or eat any of this easily!_

But then an epiphany hit her. That wasn’t quite true, was it? There would be one thing here that would be hard for her to eat, if only because it was the hardest thing to access. And it was s _trong_ , strong enough to hold an entire tree upright and anchor it into place.

Sylvia wasted no time driving her hands into the ground next to the tree and flinging dirt away until she touched wood. The root felt much sturdier than the branches on the rest of the tree, and even felt stronger than the trunk. Sylvia heaved with all her might, cursing and sweating. Trees had many roots to spare; this tree could certainly give up _one_!

With a final pull and a thunderous crack, the root broke away from the tree and came out of the ground. The end of the root oozed sap for a moment before the sap crystallized. Sylvia quietly thanked her inhuman strength; there was no way she could have managed to pull the root up otherwise. She raced back to the witchlight, clutching the root close, and managed to reach it just as it started to move back into the fog to guide her back into the portal.

* * *

Nephthys stared a little wide-eyed at the massive tree root Sylvia proudly offered to Masiosare; it was as thick as she was and at least two feet taller. She’d seen Sylvia’s strength when she’d helped fight the ogres, but to think she would be able to pull a root of that size out of the ground…

Nephthys could _hear_ Masiosare’s smile as the fae said, “Well done; you have returned with what was sought.” He gently levitated the root over to a couple Gyruses, who soon vanished with it. “Your wish will take a few hours to grant. Will you please wait in my court until the spellwork has been completed?”

Sylvia nodded. “I was planning to stay longer anyway, if you’d let me. I want to support them,” she revealed a little shyly as she glanced at the other three humans. Nephthys felt touched by the sentiment and wanted to give the girl a big hug but wasn’t sure how Sylvia would take it. Or how Masiosare would take the interruption.

Masiosare offered, “You may stay here for your friends’ trials, but you may not help them.”

“Okay,” Sylvia agreed. Then, after a moment, she asked, “Do you have any food? That won’t trap me in the court forever?”

Masiosare chuckled quietly, so quietly the Nephthys barely caught it. “Yes, we have food,” he said. “On my word as king of the court, none of the food offered to you or your friends will bring you harm, nor will you be required to pay for it.” Nephthys raised an eyebrow. It was a very charitable gesture from a fae; the fae were not known for offering much of anything for free. But her intuition was telling her that there was some other reason behind the kindly gesture. Perhaps multiple reasons. But whatever those reasons were, the food was at least guaranteed to be safe and untrapped.

“Now, let us proceed to the next trial,” Masiosare said grandly. With a clap of his hands, an ornate hourglass framed with delicate vines appeared above his head and floated down to rest suspended at eye level. “Nephthys, come forward.”

They’d introduced themselves earlier to Masiosare’s court during Sylvia’s trial, but hearing her name fall from the lips of a fae such as Masiosare sent a shiver down her spine. She stepped in front of the hourglass uncertainly.

Masiosare continued, “Knowledge is what you seek, so knowledge is what you shall give. Answer true riddles three, and you shall have the answer to your wish. Complete your test without delay, or punishment will come your way.”

Nephthys took a deep breath and nodded. Riddles were easy compared to any physical task Masiosare could have given her.

Without further ado, the hourglass was flipped, and gleaming grains began to fall. Masiosare intoned:

“ _I can bring tears to your eyes, resurrect the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. I form in an instant but last a lifetime. What am I?_ ”

Nephthys frowned, thinking. There was nothing tangible and no magic that could produce all those different effects. Certain rare magic crystals came close, but Nephthys doubted that they were the answer. But there was one more mundane thing she could think of that could do all of that…

“A memory,” Nephthys answered.

Masiosare gave no indication of the correctness of her answer. He instead recited the next riddle:

“ _I am small as an ant and big as a whale, I can soar through the air like a bird with a tail. I can be seen by day and not by night, I can be seen with a big flash of light. I follow whoever controls me by the sun, but I fade away when darkness falls like a ton._ ”

This one was harder, more abstract. But there was still plenty of sand left at the top of the hourglass, so Nephthys wasn’t too worried. Something that could change size and could be seen in light but not darkness, that followed someone… and taking into account the other details in the riddle…

“A shadow,” Nephthys answered.

Once again, Masiosare gave no reaction to her answer. He delivered the final riddle:

“ _I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all to live in this world._ ”

Nephthys bit her lip; this one was easily the hardest of the riddles. Something that would always come but was never seen… Death would fit, since no one would ever consciously experience their own death, but death was hardly a comfort to most people. Time was another possibility, but that didn’t fit quite right either. The past and present had been or were presently seen, and the future would always inevitably become the present and then the past. Not to mention that clairvoyants such as herself could peer into the future and receive guidance.

Nephthys glanced at the hourglass in frustration. The top chamber was emptying more quickly than she’d like, and her intuition was silent. She had no more ideas. Maybe she was just looking at the riddle the wrong way, or the logic that led her to discard the possibilities she’d thus far come up with was unsound…? Maybe the answer was the afterlife, but even seeing the afterlife in death was uncertain, given the ways souls could be destroyed and bound…

Her mind wandered back to time as the answer, because she was running out of it. But all of time wouldn’t work; only the future was a solid possibility. Even though the future could be seen, and would be seen when it became the present.

But, Nephthys realized, even those who could see the future like herself couldn’t see it in its entirety. Sometimes they even saw it wrong, because they would only see the most likely possibility for the future, not _the_ future that would come to pass. And though the future would always become the present, there would always be a new future to take its place, because as far as they knew, time would always stretch forward into infinity…

“The future,” Nephthys answered quietly, just before the last few grains slipped from the hourglass.

For a heart-stopping moment, Masiosare did not react. But then, with a nod, he said with respect, “Well done. All correct.”

Nephthys slumped and let out a whooshing breath in relief. Behind her, she could hear some cheering and clapping from the other humans who had come with her.

Masiosare gestured for her to come to him as he waved aside the hourglass. Nephthys moved to stand right in front of him, and he placed a hand on her head. Nephthys closed her eyes as she felt tingling fae magic pass through her, prodding at her being.

At last, Masiosare withdrew with a sigh. “You ask why the fae have bestowed you with such an ability. The answer is… I cannot tell you.”

“What?” Nephthys blurted, her eyes flying open.

Masiosare’s gaze turned downwards. “What I mean to say is that I can’t give you the answer you seek, because your ability is not fae in origin. I am sorry.”

“Can you tell me what the source is then?” Nephthys asked desperately. All the searching she’d done, all the risk she’d taken in the fae realm, and she’d been looking in the wrong place the whole time?

Masiosare shook his head slowly. “I am sorry, Nephthys. I do not recognize the signature built into your ability. All I can say is that it is not fae in origin.”

Nephthys wanted to cry. She’d been so _sure_ that the fae had been the source of her ability, and now she had to start over from scratch. Requestion all her answers and assumptions. She couldn’t even accuse Masiosare of lying; he was as bound to their deal to be truthful and correct as she was.

She took a deep breath, calming herself. While it certainly wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for, it at least gave her more information to look into. And she’d made some new friends along the way. She turned back to them. They looked varying parts upset and understanding on her behalf. The empathy was touching. She definitely wanted them all to stick together for a while longer.

“For the next task…” Masiosare announced. “It will not start until noon tomorrow. I offer my court as a safe haven to stay, on my word. Please rest until then, and meet in front of my throne.” Then the fae disappeared in a flash of green and shadow.

Nephthys glanced at the other humans again. Tori, at least, did not look happy.

* * *

Noon had not come fast enough, Kodya thought as he and the others waited in front of the throne the next day. They hadn’t wandered far in the court, but the other fae certainly had been interested in them, happily supplying them with food and drink in exchange for company. Which normally wouldn’t have been much of a problem, except Kodya was haunted by the face of his missing idiot lover everywhere he turned. Every new Gyrus that popped up shredded the frail hope in his heart, because not one of the many Gyruses that had presented themselves last night was the right Gyrus. And he could see so much of his Gyrus in these other ones… even in the ones clad in tight black that flirted with him more boldly than his Gyrus ever had. Even in the shy, clumsy ones, who were kind and heartfelt enough to make his heart ache.

Kodya also had no idea how the Gyruses kept themselves straight, given how similar in appearance they were and how they all had the same name.

Masiosare appeared atop his throne as abruptly as he’d disappeared last night. Kodya heard Tori mutter “finally” under her breath.

“For the third trial…” Masiosare announced without fanfare. “He who seeks his lover, shall be given a lover’s trial.”

_My turn_ , Kodya thought with equal parts apprehension and excitement. One last test and then finally, finally, he would be reunited with his Gyrus again.

Masiosare waved his hand. Next to his throne, a smaller mound appeared that appeared to be made of various grains and seeds.

“Your task is to sort this pile into its separate parts before sundown,” Masiosare revealed. “And remember, you may have no help from your companions. Good luck.” He vanished just as quickly as he’d come.

Kodya’s eyes bulged. It would take _forever_ to sort a pile like that. He’d never make it before sundown. “ _What?!_ ” he cried. The other fae shifted and murmured among themselves.

“That is impossible!” Tori sputtered next to him. “He cannot expect ye to do that in such a short amount of time without help!”

Kodya sighed before squaring his shoulders. “I have no choice,” he said tersely as he stalked towards the mound. “I have to find him, and you can’t help me.” Just at first glance, he could see barley, rice, lentils, wheat, beans…

Kodya had barely started when someone knelt down beside him and grabbed at the pile. “Hey, stop!” Kodya snapped. “You’re not allowed to…” he trailed off when he saw that it wasn’t one of his human companions but one of the Gyruses instead. The one who had guided him to Masiosare’s court.

“It’s not fair for Masiosare to give you a task like this to do all by yourself,” he said earnestly. “I don’t count as a companion because I was merely your guide. With my small amount of magic, we might be able to get this done.”

“I want to help too!” another Gyrus chimed in, with hair long enough to reach his waist. “He deserves to be happy.”

“Whichever one of us is yours is a lucky one indeed,” another Gyrus said, the flirty one wrapped tightly in black.

“Yeah!” more Gyruses chimed in. Soon the pile was swarmed with Gyruses. Fae magic sparkled in the air, sorting myriad floating tiny grains.

Kodya felt a lump in his throat. “Thank you,” he said as he continued to manually sort the pile by hand. With a small army of Gyruses behind him helping him out… he might just have a chance.

* * *

Tori could almost _see_ Masiosare’s eyebrow twitching when he returned at sundown to fully sorted piles of grains neatly stacked in a rough circle. He looked around at the Gyruses. Some of them were facing him defiantly and some looked a little sheepish, but none looked repentant.

Masiosare sighed heavily. “Well, congratulations, Kodya. You have successfully completed your trial within the parameters.”

A smile broke onto the man’s face, the first she’d seen. “So, where is he then?” he asked eagerly.

Masiosare hesitated. “Your Gyrus… you shall learn of his fate after the last trial.”

“ _What?_ ” Kodya cried. He was echoed by a handful of the Gyruses.

Masiosare held up a hand for silence. “By my word, your Gyrus will be revealed to you. But it must happen after the final trial.”

“Why?” Kodya demanded, bristling. Tori could understand why; she was almost out of patience with this fae, herself.

“It will be clear once the trial is completed,” Masiosare replied mysteriously, sitting on his throne. “Now, Tori Grieve, champion of the Queen… come forth.”

Tori moved to stand before Masiosare. For a moment, she felt sorry for the unhappy man she brushed past, but she had to focus on her own trial.

Masiosare said nothing for some time, simply boring into her through the eerie skull mask. Tori shifted uncomfortably and impatiently. Finally, Masiosare waved a hand, and an item appeared in his lap. It looked like half of the root Sylvia had retrieved the day before, except carved with gleaming runes. Then he began to speak.

“Tori Grieve, you seek the Prince that was unfairly taken from you and your Queen. His location…” Masiosare hesitated. “First, you will need some information for this trial, as to the fate of your prince.”

Tori tensed. That didn’t sound promising.

“The fae Don is powerful and tricky. An Unseelie who passes himself as a Seelie. He is the only one of us who dares make his home within the Woods of the Lost… a cursed forest where most who enter never return. The garden I sent Sylvia to was his.” Behind Tori, Sylvia made a surprised noise.

Masiosare continued, “Beings who wander into the woods do not emerge the same. Their minds or bodies changed… or perhaps unchanged, but they find themselves in far-off places or unfamiliar times.” Masiosare took a deep breath. “Upon my word, this is true… the prince you seek wandered away from Don in an unguarded moment, and was lost in these woods.”

“No…” Tori said hoarsely. Was her prince truly lost? Why was Masiosare revealing this without a price?

“But he did not remain lost,” Masiosare revealed. Tori’s breath caught. “He emerged from the woods in a foreign land, in a foreign time, as a changeling. He grew from a babe to a child, from a child to a man.”

Tori made a pained noise. Her prince wasn’t lost, but to lose so much of his life to time…!

“And now…” Masiosare trailed off. He made a sweeping gesture with his arm. Tori wasn’t sure what he wanted her to do, before realizing that the gesture wasn’t for her. It was for his court. The few individual fae separated themselves out, and the multitude of Gyruses lined up for her to see clearly, crowding around Masiosare’s throne.

“Tori Grieve… the prince you are so desperately looking for lies before you, right now,” Masiosare announced.

Tori gasped. It couldn’t be! But hadn’t she noticed, when she’d met that first Gyrus, how similar he appeared to Amelia? The face of a prince, tossed through time and fully grown…

“One Gyrus in front of you is your queen’s true son. The others are not,” Masiosare explained calmly. “All you must do is pick the true prince to grant your wish.”

Tori’s breath caught. Even if the prince was fully-grown, and of the fae… she had the opportunity to take him home right now. It would be simple to pick the right Gyrus. Simple, but not easy. If she chose wrongly…

No. She couldn’t get it wrong. She _wouldn’t_.

She walked among the crowd of Gyruses. But the more she studied, them, the more she realized… even despite their individual differences in clothes and hair and temperament, not one of them stood out. Not a single one seemed _different_ from the others. Not even the one who’d guided them to Masiosare’s court. No, the only fae among this bunch that stood out… was Masiosare himself. The fae king could have easily removed himself from the selection area, or had the selection area away from him, but he had not. And he was at the center of all the Gyruses. But, was there really another Gyrus underneath that concealing cloak and skull? She couldn’t be sure. But, at the same time… he was the only fae among these that showed any of Amelia’s skill to _lead_.

That made up her mind. Tori pointed at Masiosare and said, simply, “You. You are my prince.”

Nothing happened for a moment, and Tori felt a moment of terror that she’d chosen wrong. But then, the root in Masiosare’s lap that she’d heretofore ignored began to glow brightly. A second later, so did all the Gyruses, including Masiosare. With a thunderous _crack_ , the mask on Masiosare’s face shattered into pieces, revealing a face matching all the ones crowded below it. The cloak tore away, leaving behind an indistinct form. Then, all the Gyruses at the base of the mound faded into stardust that swirled around Masiosare before being absorbed into him. Tori had to look away from the intense light. When she could finally look again, there was only one Gyrus left: one sitting on top of the mound, his body whole, clad in simple traveling clothes. The root in his lap held its shape for a moment before fragmenting into ash and being lost to the wind.

Then Gyrus toppled over.

Tori let out a cry and lunged forward. She was surprised to find that she wasn’t the only one; Kodya grabbed onto Gyrus’s limp form the same moment she did. Tori was too focused on Gyrus to really care about the intruding hands. They settled him gently propped against the mound. The only thing they could really do now was wait.

Tori looked at Kodya. His gaze was just as wildly concerned as hers was. Just what had happened to Gyrus in the years she’d missed?

* * *

Gyrus woke with a groan, his head pounding. All those different sets of memories… combining all at once…

“Gyrus!” two different voices yelled in his ears. He moaned.

“Quiet…” he rasped. Blissfully, there was no more noise aside from wind rustling the trees. Vela just being nervous, probably…

The cacophony in his head died down enough for him to crack open his eyes. Two figures swam immediately into view. Tori, his mother’s knight. And Kodya, his love.

Ugh, Kodya was so mad at him. Gyrus painstakingly lifted his hand to grasp Kodya’s. Kodya held it tenderly while Tori looked on jealously.

“Sorry…” he mumbled. “Didn’t mean to…”

“Hey, it can wait. You’re hurt,” Kodya said gently.

“Ergh,” Gyrus grunted in agreement. Too many memories from too many versions of him. He would just have to wait for the disorientation and clutter to pass.

But maybe that would need to wait. There were a few things he needed to take care of before he could rest for the hours needed to let his memories sort themselves out. Grimacing, he shakily gathered his magic and cast a spell on himself to shut away the overcrowded memories temporarily. It wasn’t a permanent solution, nor terribly healthy to put off sorting the crush of memories, but it would have to do for now, because he needed to function.

He pushed himself upright and shook his head, trying to adjust to being whole again. Almost two years had been too long…

“Gyrus?” Tori questioned.

“We need to get out of here,” he said, a little hoarsely. Don would have felt the pulse of energy from this location, as well as the soul-splitting curse being broken. His eyes flicked to the few members of his “court” that hadn’t been him and said, “You know what to do.” Then he belatedly remembered, “Someone make sure to give Sylvia her wish.” The roots of a tree made of many trees held great power. Enough to break his curse, alongside another cursebreaking mechanism. More than enough to fix the famine in the human’s village. Programming that power just required a knowledge of runic magic. Of course, given that the Tree of Many Trees had been hidden by Don in the Woods of the Lost, which only fae could have a half a prayer at navigating, and warded against fae intruders…

Gyrus shook his head as his mind wandered. Even though he was more functional, pushing the memory crush to the back of his mind would still have side effects.

“Gyrus? Are you sure you’re alright?” Kodya asked concernedly.

Gyrus grimaced. “No. But I’m alright enough.” He looked at the four humans. “You’ll need to come with me. At least for a while. It’s not safe here anymore. And if Don senses my power on you, he’ll take you and do Titania knows what with what you know about me.”

Nephthys looked a little like a frozen deer. “What?”

“I’ll drop you off where you need to go afterwards,” Gyrus offered. It was the least he could do when he was technically kidnapping them.

“You need to come home,” Tori said, a little pleading. She took his other hand. “Your mother misses you dearly.”

His mother, whom he’d never met… Gyrus was tempted for a moment. But only for a moment. “No, I can’t,” he said regretfully. “It’s not safe for anyone if I’m there. Not until Don is gone.”

Tori’s face grew thunderous, and Gyrus thought she was about to protest, but instead she said, “Then I will accompany you until we can slay the sorcerer and it is safe for you to return.”

Gyrus leaned back, sighing. He wouldn’t let her, or any human, get into Don’s crosshairs in Gyrus’s place, but he didn’t have enough strength to argue with her at the moment.

It was quiet for a minute before Kodya asked, sounding a little heartbroken, “What happened that day? Why didn’t you tell me you were of the fae?”

“Thought it would keep us both safer,” Gyrus mumbled, ashamed. Kodya’s ignorance had almost certainly kept him safe from Don, but that was a bad excuse, because Gyrus hadn’t even _known_ he’d been targeted by the cruel fae looking to reclaim his prize back then. Which made it a harder issue of trust and fear, and…

Gyrus took a deep breath and continued, “I’m sure you know we fae can heal from more dire injuries than humans can. So when that accident happened, I didn’t die.” Of course, being stabbed through the stomach with a sword was no fun even for a fae. Gyrus grimaced at the memory. “Before I was fully recovered, Don captured me. He wants me for something more than just as a prize, but I still have no idea what. I spent months in his company before I managed to escape, but he cursed me on the way out…” Gyrus hadn’t been himself because he’d been too many selves, and he had a sadist fae after him. Not the best time to go looking for his lover. He’d gathered a few other fae who’d had bad run-ins with Don and had been looking to break the curse and find a way to kill Don ever since.

Kodya frowned, knowing there were things Gyrus was leaving out of his explanation. He was a perceptive man.

Gyrus was thrilled to be back by his side again. But he also dreaded that Don would target him as a weakness.

“I’m still going to yell at you later. When you look less like you’re about to pass out,” Kodya muttered.

Tori shot him an outraged look. “How dare ye treat the prince that way!” she hissed.

Kodya stubbornly glared back. “It’s well within my rights to yell at my partner when he does something stupid.” Oh, good, they were already at each other’s throats.

Thankfully, the two were cut off by the arrival of Maria. “We’re ready to go, Gyrus,” the battle elf said, her hair glittering.

Gyrus grunted and heaved himself upright, and found two concerned humans hovering at his sides, steadying him.

It was time to go. With his small court behind him and a handful of humans tagging along, Gyrus took a deep breath, summoned his magic, and opened a portal to a place they could safely stay for a time. He would recuperate, and he would make sure his humans stayed _safe_.

**Author's Note:**

> Masiosare when Kodya arrives: Oh no. My boyfriend’s angry
> 
> (kudos to Justghostingby for the joke)


End file.
